An Evening Stroll Extras: Mother's Day
by Still Waters
Summary: Someone from Maria's past is thinking of her.
_Greetings, dear readers. I've been working on my ongoing stories, but I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. It works in my head, but when I get to actually getting it typed out, it doesn't read like it does in my head, if that makes sense. I finally decided to see if working on something else for a little bit might help. I keep having ideas for these little short scenes for my stories that don't exactly fit into a chapter, so I thought I'd try getting one of those down. This was the result. It would have been better if I had posted it last week, but the idea didn't really bloom until these last few days, so..._

 _Anyway. Hope you like._

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An Evening Stroll Extra: Mother's Day

"If that's all, sir, I'll head back to my office to take care of this," Maria Hill told her boss, making a move to rise from the chair in front of his desk.

"Just a minute," he told her, nodding for her to remain seated. He pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and studied it for several moments.

She watched him, her carefully schooled features revealing none of the questions going through her mind. Nick had always moved at his own pace and she had learned long ago not to try to rush him before he was ready to reveal what was on his mind.

"I've been debating giving this to you," he told her. "I'm still not entirely sure."

Finally, he held it out to her.

"I guess I'll leave it up to you."

She accepted the sealed envelope, looking it over briefly before returning her gaze to his face.

"I told you once that I was keeping an eye on Benjamin for you."

She stilled at the mention of the child she had put up for adoption years ago. Finally, she nodded.

"Part of that includes keeping watch on his social media activity. This was something that he posted on his page last Sunday. A picture and some stuff. I printed it up for you. You can decide it you want to read it or not."

The silence stretched for a little longer until Maria finally stood up. She folded the note, tucking it in her pocket. "Thanks. I'll think about it."

As usual, her day kept her going strong all day, dealing with crisis large and small and everything in between. Not surprisingly, it was late when she finally got back to her quarters. She shed her uniform and stepped into the shower. When she went to toss her dirty clothes in the hamper, she heard the crinkle of paper and remembered the discussion with Nick that morning.

She took the envelope and settled on her sofa, considering her next step. When her phone buzzed with an incoming text, she picked it up.

'Up for company?'

Steve. She smiled.

'Sure. My quarters,' she replied.

When he let himself in a few minutes later, he sat next to her with a kiss and a heavy sigh.

"Rough day?" she asked.

"Eh. Not really bad, just long and busy," he told her. "You?"

"The same," she admitted, resting against him. They stayed that way for several minutes, just relaxing in each others presence. He noticed her toying with the envelope and nodded towards it.

"What's that?"

She sighed. "I'm not entirely sure."

He looked concerned. "Should we run it down to security?"

"No," she assured him. "Nothing like that. Nick gave it to me." Steve breathed a sigh of relief. "He's been monitoring the baby I gave up. Well, young man, now. I'm not sure what all that inlcudes, but apparently, social media is part of it. This is something that was posted on Facebook that Nick thought I might be interested in."

"Do you want me to look at it first?" he offered.

She debated, clearly tempted, but finally shook her head. "This has to be my decision. He said there's a picture, too." After another extended silence, she turned to look at him. "What do you think I should do? Should I look or leave it alone?"

"Like you said, Maria, it has to be your choice. You have my complete support, whatever you decide. You can look at it now, you can destroy it, or you can put it away for later."

She smiled thanks, turing to kiss him lightly. "I just don't know. I've chosen not to have contact for a reason. I know that I don't have a big public presence or anything, but I've made some powerful and dangerous enemies and I don't want to make him and his family a target."

"I know. I understand. You've done what you can to protect him. But, as you said, you have powerful enemies. Them finding out about him is a possibility. What's in that envelope isn't going to increase that risk. Nick having people keeping tabs on him will allow him to move quickly to protect him. This is just seeing a picture, reading something he wrote. You're not taking out an ad in the New York Times showing his picture and publicly declaring your relationship. This is just about you knowing something."

"I know," she said softly.

He studied her. "So, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid," she protested.

He gave her a disbelieving look.

"I know I made the right choice. I know that it was the best thing for him and for me to give him up."

Steve nodded.

"But it was still hard. It hurt."

He said nothing, just holding her while she struggled to get her thoughts in order.

"What if seeing his picture opens that hurt again? What if I decide it was a mistake? If I feel the need to connect with him? That would increase the risk."

"That's a possibility," he agreed. "But even if you do feel that, it doesn't mean you have to act on it. You're not going to risk someone else's life just to make yourself feel better. You're very protective of the people you care about and always put other people's well being above your own."

After a few more minutes, she picked up a letter opener and slit the envelope opened. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the pages out and unfolded them, holding them where Steve could see as well.

The first page was a picture of a young man, his arms draped around a woman on one side and a man on his other. All three were dressed upfor some special occasion. Wordlessly, she studied the family, her eyes focused on the young man in the center. He had the dark, curly hair she remembered and a warm, friendly smile. His most striking feature, though, was his bright, blue eyes.

"He has your eyes," Steve murmured.

She nodded, finally flipping to the next page. It was a printout from his facebook page from the previous Sunday.

 **I can't let the day go by without saying Happy Mother's Day**

 **to the worlds greatest mom. I want you to know how much**

 **I appreciate all you've done for me over the years. Between**

 **the dirty diapers, throw up, trips to the ER, baseball, basketball,**

 **and track practices and games, and late nights struggling with**

 **calculus, you were always there for me. You encouraged me to**

 **follow my dreams, even ones that scared you, like learning to fly.**

 **I never doubted your love and your commitment to me. We may**

 **not be related by blood, but you are my mother and I love you and**

 **am so blessed to have you.**

 **I also want to thank the woman who gave birth to me. I don't**

 **know what your situation was or why you couldn't keep me**

 **or raise me, but I'm grateful that you decided to have me. I**

 **know you had a choice and I'm glad you made the one you**

 **did. I still don't know your situation, if you have other kids that**

 **you're getting to spend the day with or spending the day with**

 **your own mother. I doubt you'll ever even see this, but just in**

 **case, I want you to know that you have a son who thinks of you**

 **and wishes you well. Happy Mother's Day to you, too.**

Steve's arm tightened around her shoulder and she looked over at him with a smile. "He likes to fly, too," she commented.

"There's more," he told her, pointing to one of the replies that Nick had highlighted. It was by a woman with the same last name.

 **Thank you, son. I love you, too and I love being your mother.**

 **I wouldn't trade a single moment I've had with you. From the**

 **first moment I saw you, you were mine and I knew then and there**

 **that I would do whatever I had to to take care of you. Your father**

 **and I are so proud of all you've accomplished and can't wait to**

 **see where life takes you.**

 **I also want to thank your birth mother. I can't imagine that the**

 **choice was an easy one, but you gave my husband and I the most**

 **precious gift we have ever received. He has been and continues to**

 **be a blessing to us and a source of great joy. Words can't express**

 **how much we appreciate what you gave us. You hold a special**

 **place in my heart and I pray rich blessings on your life.**

Maria turned her attention back to the photo. Steve held her, watching her face as she processed what she had read. Finally, she spoke.

"Looks like he has a good life. A normal life. Parents who love him and think of him as a blessing and not a burden."

"Like your dad did."

She nodded.

"Yeah. Like my dad did. That's why I have a hard time letting anyone help me, I guess. Those old feelings of being a burden."

Steve turned her to face him. "You are anything but. You give so much of yourself and have done so much to make this world a better place. You are certainly a blessing to me, Maria."

She leaned in to kiss him. "And you to me."

Carefully folding the pages, she put them back in the envelope.

"Any regrets?" he asked.

"About reading it or about giving him up?"

"Either."

After a pause, she shook her head with a smile. "No. I have no doubts that I made the right choice. None at all."

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 _And that's a wrap. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed and would love your feedback. Like it? Hate it? Okay with the little, short pieces or focus on the main stories? Now to see if I can get the next bit of Risks presentable._


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